Ya, it's Nos Ancètres Les Gaulois and i've included the location here. it's a bit of a production because, well, that's the idea, and though many tourists go, last time i went (about 3 years ago) it was still good. there's a prix fixe menu and they give you a huge basket of crudites to start and you'll probably end up spending your whole evening there. i'd rec trying to go during a weeknight or later in the night so you can avoid crowds.

HOWEVER, if you're heading to ile st louis, i'd rec going to Mon Vieil Ami instead; it's much more reflective of the great food coming out of France these days.

People don't go to Nos Ancetres Les Gaulois for the quality of the food, they go there for the 'party', since it's a boisterous eat-all-you-can-eat, drink-all-you-can-drink, communal tables sort of place.

The food is not very good, but there's lots of it. The wine they serve is plonk, but there's lots of it. But people love this place because of its festive, medieval theme. You might love this or you might hate this, but at least you can make a decision on an informed basis.

We ate at Nos Ancètres Les Gaulois our last night in Paris....what a way to end the trip. As much as I was trying to have excellent food at every meal, my non-Chowhound husband really wanted to go to Nos Ancetres as it looked like a pirate ship through the window. I heaved a quiet sigh and said OK (after all, I'd dragged him all over Paris in search of the best chocolate, etc.) There was something incredibly fun about being in the midst of the raucousness. The food ranged from really good (the assortment of sausages...and the chocolate dessert) to pretty bad (the sides that came with the meal) but the festive atmosphere is what I remember most. There's a guy with a guitar who roams around, singing French folk songs (and probably drinking songs, too)...everyone at the table next to us knew all the songs, and sang along with gusto. We couldn't help but clap along and try to catch some of the words and sing along, too. The meal starts off with a huge basket of crudites and then an all-you-want buffet of salads and saucissons (sausages, salamis and the like) which were quite good.

If you want something really different that's not a bistro and not haute cuisine, this is a good place for that, but put aside high food expectations first.